Mart Laar's book "The Power of Freedom" offers an unprecedentedly compact overview of the history of Central and Eastern Europe since 1945. The author covers topics ranging from war strategies, mass deportations, command economy, Red Terror and anti-communist resistance in Eastern Europe, to independence movements and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and reasoning why communism fails and freedom works; all delivered by a historian who lived on the isolated side of the Iron Curtain. Additionally, Mart Laar's role at the epicentre of economic reforms as the Prime Minister of Estonia, provides a basis for particularly insightful analyses on post-communist reforms and European integration. "The Power of Freedom" describes a gripping journey through the history of Central and Eastern Europe divided by an iron curtain, mapping the anticommunist resistance and the changes of 1989. It offers a detailed analysis of alternative models of post-communist transition, and successful integration of Central and Eastern European countries into the Euro - Atlantic structures. It is a book about courage and solidarity. It is a book about freedom and democracy winning over fear and oppression.
It is a must read for a better understanding of European history.